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Mentoring your boss to a better job

Q: My boss, "Debra", has been a wonderful mentor to me. She has an MBA and is one of the smartest people I have ever known. Due to her mentoring skills, I have been offered a job with another company at a 30 percent pay increase.

Debra has been with this organization for 27 years and manages a department of 125 people with a budget of $3 million. However, the management here does not recognize excellence, and I believe that Debra may be ready to move on.

I would like to repay my mentor by doing some "reverse mentoring." She has asked me questions like "What else do you think I could do?" and "How could I find out what I'm qualified for?" I would like to know how to help her. Searching in San Antonio

A: How ironic that your boss can mentor you toward a better future, but is unable to do the same for herself. However, after 27 years in one organization, she may lack confidence in her marketability.

To get an idea of her worth, Debra should contact a few recruiters who specialize in her profession. Most headhunters will be glad to talk with an experienced high-level manager who has an MBA.

Before contacting them, however, Debra needs to update her resume and highlight the most marketable aspects of her background. Many books and Web resources offer advice for making a resume sparkle.

To develop networking contacts, Debra should also get involved with the professional association in her field. Most job opportunities are transmitted by word of mouth, so staying connected will help her identify possible career alternatives.

Q: I sit in a cluster of cubicles with four other people. The person beside me belches repeatedly throughout the day. I've tried wearing headphones to drown him out, but it doesn't always work.

My other coworkers say they also hear him and that this has been brought to his attention before. I mentioned it to my manager, but she didn't do anything. I may have to talk to the guy myself, because I can't take it anymore. What should I do? - Disgusted

A: Your burping colleague may have little control over this physiological response. Unlike those who talk loudly or bathe infrequently, people who belch, sniff or cough often have underlying physical problems. He might be able to turn down the volume, though.

If you're willing to risk an indignant reaction, you can make this request directly: "I know this may sound silly, but I get very distracted by noise, and I often hear a lot of belching from your cubicle. If you're able to do that more quietly, I would really appreciate it."

Should this conversation fail to squelch the belch, enlist the support of your fellow cube dwellers. Go as a group to your manager and ask her to encourage the burper to exert more self-control.

Another alternative is to distance yourself by swapping cubicles with a coworker who is less disturbed by bodily sounds. Some people are completely oblivious to the background noise that others find maddening.

If all else fails, invest in a better set of headphones, resign yourself to the inevitable and try to muster a little sympathy for someone with such a socially unacceptable habit.

Marie G. McIntyre is a workplace coach and the author of "Secrets to Winning at Office Politics." Send in questions and get free coaching tips at www.yourofficecoach.com.)